South Korean police bust over 2,300 cyber‑gambling suspects and seize 1 trillion‑won illegal sites

The Korea National Police Agency’s cyber‑crime division carried out a seven‑month crackdown beginning in November, arresting 2,319 people involved in online gambling and detaining 154 senior organizers. The operation targeted large‑scale illegal platforms, including a network run from Vietnam that handled bets worth about 1.31 trillion won. Authorities confiscated over 1.07 trillion won in crime proceeds, with 387 billion won seized before prosecution. Police also disrupted supply chains by tracking companies that design and supply gambling‑site software, and coordinated with foreign law‑enforcement agencies to repatriate 15 fugitives from the Philippines, Cambodia and other countries.

The arrested individuals spanned ages from teenagers to those over 60, with the highest representation in their 20s and 30s. Younger offenders primarily engaged in illegal sports‑betting, while older groups were involved in horse‑racing and other betting forms. Officials said the crackdown aims to dismantle the transnational infrastructure that fuels cyber‑gambling, which they described as a “border‑crossing, evolving ultra‑border crime.”